Mazdaspeed 6 to make the RX8 obsolete?
 

Do you think the new Mazdaspeed 6 will make the RX8 obsolete?

I know they cater to different markets and have their own individual niche segments, but there are a few things about each car that cross into each others territory.

both are 4 door sports sedans, coupes...whatever you want to call it
both have excellent handling
both have decent performance numbers

I would think that the Mazdaspeed 6 will cut into the RX8's sales as they are priced competitively.

Discuss.

It concerns me some that Mazda appears to be casting away its halo car and allowing the 8's siblings to be very competitive in performance at similar or lower pricing (i.e. Mazdaspeed Miata and 6). However, I do think the demographics are much different for the cars. The 8 has 4 doors, but would you honestly put two of your close friends in the back for a 3 hour jaunt to the mountains or beach? I think not. The 6 on the other hand is perfect for that, and allows you to do so in comfort with some performance to boot. I see this as a direct competitor not to the WRX/EVO, but rather to the Accord V6 or Legacy GT. My wife has an '03 V6 Accord, and I'm not positive that I can take her in the 1/4 with my 8. I can only hope that the Mazdaspeed version will deliver us from these unsure times and give us back the halo car we thought we were buying 1+ years ago. :confused:

i don't think so. there is nothing for us RX8 owners to worry about. the mazdaspeed 6 is and has 4 actual doors. the 8, two real doors and two inverted-wannabe doors (i still don't considered it a 4 door. kinda like a spork...not a fork, not a spoon). the 8 will always out handle. a v6 compared to a rotary weight?? 50/50 ratio on the 8 compared to whatever the 6 is.

the way i see this is similar to how BMW has the M3 and M5. Nissan has the 350Z and the rest of cars powered by the same motor. it's just a different kind of sandwich at the same restaurant.

The Mazdaspeed 6 is nothing like the RX8. Just in the styling alone...
Plus the 6 is a whole lot heavier than the 8 and will not handle anything like the 8.

The MS6 is nothing but a nice upgrade to Mazda's lineup of SEDANS to keep up with their competition (ie. Accord, Camrys, Altimas). No comparison applies here despite whatever some hp number on paper might indicate...

https://www.rx8club.com/general-automotive-49/pskulls-rant-thread-about-ms6-vs-rx8-46648/
https://www.rx8club.com/general-automotive-49/rx-8-hardly-mazdas-elite-anymore-51315/

Danomite, I like the spork comparison. Anyway, I agree that unless they do some serious suspension upgrades, you won't have to worry about a MS6 creeping up on you at an autox. Although you might worry a little about grandma next to you at the stoplight.....definite sleeper.

Put them side by side. No comparison.

Agreed, Zoom -
Like I said, different demographics completely. The 8 looks like it's doing 70 while parked, while the 6 looks better than the 626, but still a grocery getter. I'd love to drive one when they're out, but the looks of the 8 get me too much attention. I'm not one of the members here trolling for babes in my 8 all the time, but I get a lot of satisfaction out of people giving me the "thumbs up" or rolling their windows downs at a light and saying "nice car!". I doubt you'll see that in the MS6.

It's also a bit satisfying to have the ricer Civics, Integras, and Accords pull up next to you and wind out those coffee can mufflers baiting you to race. I always just look over and smile and continue at my current speed (you never know - they could have a turbo lol). :D

No chance....the MS 6 is a porker.

3589 no options, over 3650 fully loaded GT model.

And its got 18x7, with 215/45/18 tires. Its not designed to compete with the 8 (which is why its got ungodly shitty tire sizing). Its meant to compete against the G35x, Legacy 2.5 GT, etc.

It should still sell well...but then of course the 2007's are supposed to have a 3.5 V6, navi, and hid's.

BlueEyes: The thread in that first link is interesting--one of the better reads from here in a while for me, especially since I sympathize with Pkskull and share some of the same sentiments in regard to the 8's performance capabilities.

Not sure about that second link, though. I only scrolled through the first page, but they're only talking about the hypothetical Miata.

no, and her is why- just follow with me for a second, i pretty much can sum up those two posts...
Why is 6 afraid of 7? because 7 8(ate) 9. And so if 6 cant compete with 7 but 7 can kill 9 that leaves 8 in fair game baby. Its all gravy like the coaster of love smacked on shrooms with a half in. pipe for the blowin. Just let your jets settle for the take off!-----damn..im buzzing :)

The Mazdaspeed 6 will not make the RX-8 obsolete. Though the cars are arguably comparable on paper, emotionally they appeal to two very different kinds of people. Few 8 buyers will even consider a Mazdaspeed 6.

Obviously the 8 draws people who want "the sports car", but there's more to it than that. The 8 appeals to the kind of person who loves all the little things that make it different and unique: the rotary engine, the suicide doors, the avant-garde body, the "alternate" engineering of the thing, the notion of a "4-door sports car", the fact that you don't see many of them, and so on—the very things that probably alienate a 6 buyer. The 6 will appeal to people who want a practical, conventional sedan with a little extra. The 6 might seem better—to you—on paper but, as a Harley ad once said, it's not a rational decision. Show a prospective 8 buyer the specs and numbers on both cars and he'll still choose the 8 because what the 8 gives him isn't something you'll find on a spec sheet. There will be no thread titled "The little things" for the Mazdaspeed 6. The 6 is a car you respect; the 8 is a car you love.

totally agree, but want to point out that the mazdaspeed 6 is a turbo charged version of the 4 cylinder version of the 6, not a v6.

oh...i thought it was a v6 twin turbo. 4 cylinder turbo, it definately isn't up to par on an 8.

yeah, its featured in the January Car and Driver I believe, they liked it, but said they were a 'bit' confused to its 'role' and didn't think it was up to par with the sti/evo level, but did enjoy the handling. i don't think its anywhere infringing on the 8 either

What will be the price for a MS6 in the US?

I will say MS6's nearest competitor is the Audi A4 3,2 Q..
But thats in Europe,and here we dont have cars like Legacy GT and Accord V6.
Impreza GT and EVO are smaller and more hardcore than the MS6 i think(Without driving them of course)

No...quick answer...lol

The Mazda 6 looks real nice and will now be even faster, BUT...the RX8 is in a whole other world. I think we all got the RX8 for many reasons...but I think the sports car look with 2+2 seating sold the deal. The Mazda6 while a great car is still a sadan...

Summary
MPS 6: $28,555 USD
GT MPS 6: $30,485 USD

Factory options:
Pearl paint ($200)
Power tilt-and-slide moonroof ($700)
DVD-based navigation system ($2,000).

All options + Standard MPS 6 + Destination
$31,455 USD (Tax, title, tags not included)

All options + GT package + Destination
$33,385 USD (Tax, title, tags not included)

Many dealerships have added a "market adjustment" price to the MSRP...which has been upwards of 3-4k additional for some preorders.

I thought they were only making like 2000 MS6s anyways? And it won't be faster than the 8 because of the huge weight difference...

I wouldn't just call it a turbo charged version of the 2.3 Liter found in the 6i. This is Mazda's first stab at direct injection, and they are running a pretty high compression ratio because of it. It's around a 9.5:1 or so I think. That's pretty high considering for a turbo charged engine. It varies quite a bit from the normal 4 cylinder version.

I've read that Germany alone will get 1500 each year and whole Europe 4000.
Estimated price in Germany is 38-40000€..

http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/d/74788

It is not going to directly compete with with the 8. The 8 has gone over 100,000 in sales since it's introduction, even if the 6 pulls a few people away from the 8 sales arn't going to be hurt enough to be noticable.

The MS6 is mazda pulling in another market segment. It's great for mazda which = great for the future of the rotary.

BTW: the MS6 will have a 2.3liter I4 with 9.5 compression boosting up to 15.6psi and cooled with a topmount IC similar to the second gen 7. Direct fuel injection is used. This is good for 276 HP and ~280tq. This is all put to the ground thourgh an advanced (for mazda) AWD system.

This car should be faster stock to stock in the 1/4 than the 8, but not by much. The handling.... not even in the same world, 60/40 split for the 6 is not good.

This car will be great. Nothing but good things will come from it.

I'm glad to see how many people have agreed with me in MS-6 debate. I'm not going to re-hash this all over again, but I'm still not happy with the position that Mazda has taken. However, from the tone of some recent articles I don't think the 6 will be as fast as originally anticipated.

While this makes me happy as an RX-8 owner, I am somewhat disappointed in the company overall. Mazda seems to be falling short on the performance of their vehicles. The RX-8 is not really a competitor with the cars in it’s class, and neither is the MS-6. It seems to me that Mazda is taking a very conservative approach to building, something that seems to go against the whole “Zoom-Zoom” thing their going for.

Here's a link to Car and Drivers test in Feb 2005. Mazda says 0-60 in 6.2 so its a bit (Using only C and D's numbers, not talking about me or anything), it could be a bit slower as C and D clocked their 8 at 5.9. Not sure about the quarter though. Its a cool car I think, but i still don't really think twice or worry about it. To me they are different cars. Its the same thing as an M3 being as fast or faster as some 5 series or 6 series bimmers. Faster doesn't equal nicer in my book....

Car and Driver